Sunday, August 12, 2012

Hey, Hey, We've Got Hummingbirds

This ruby-throated hummingbird has become a regular at our two red feeders.  We fill the feeders with sugar water (1 cup of sugar dissolved in 4 cups of water). 

His ruby throat isn't visible in this photo.  The black throat patch reflects bright ruby red when the sun hits it.   

Thank you, sun.  I love that bright ruby-red color.

Is that one cool bird, or what!  He's only 3 inches long.  Maybe that's why he attracts my attention.  You know, the best things come in small packages. 

Several weeks ago, I concluded that I'd probably never get a photo of a hummingbird.  Hummers came and went so fast that I could never get my camera, turn it on, zoom in and shoot before they were gone.

Now, we see hummingbirds many times every day.  This hummer is standing on a metal branch of our feeder system.

I see them everywhere, even on our telephone and cable wires.  I don't know how they grip the thick wires. 

This female hummer (same as male, but lacking the throat patch) has no trouble at all perching on this lofty spot; she's in the thick of things, surrounded by trees and shrubs.  She can watch all the activity of her neighbors at the feeders and birdbaths.

I took this through the screen.

I captured this photo as he hovered beside the feeder.  If I'm close enough, I can hear the hum of their wings as they fly in.


I have a rather unbelievable tale to tell:

  "Lon and I were sitting on the screen porch (with the screen door propped open) early one evening.  It was when we were beginning to see hummers more frequently.  We'd seen several females.  I was looking at hummingbirds in our Birds of Wisconsin field guide.  The only kind listed was the ruby-throated.   I commented to Lon on how pretty the males were and how much I'd like to see them at our feeders.

I put the field guide down beside me and looked out the open door.  At that exact moment, a male ruby-throated hummingbird came flying in my direction.  It hung in the air in the doorway about 3 to 4 feet from me as if to say, 'Here I am.  I've come to grant you your wish.' "

Can you imagine how excited I was?  Was it just a crazy coincidence or something more?  I choose to go with "something more."   

Since then we've seen countless males and females.  Now that I have several good photos of them, I can relax and really enjoy them.  No more frantic scrambling for my camera when I spot one!

4 comments:

Sarie said...

Awwwww, they are so amazing and beautiful. I just love the hummingbirds! One day, out on the patio, I had a t-shirt on that had what looked similar to a big yellow sunflower, and one of them flew right up to that shirt and just hovered there. I couldn't move! I just wanted that moment with him. I disappointed him that I wasn't an actual flower, but he sure made me happy. Just as yours did when he visited you at the door. That's a cute story Shaddy, thank you for sharing! Now go, enjoy your friends! xoxo

Cheryl Peters said...

SARIE: I'm glad to hear that you had a "hummingbird moment" too. Nature provides those moments when we least expect them. I'm glad the hummingbird that was near you didn't poke you with its long beak thinking your sunflower shirt was the real thing!!

Last summer, a sparrow landed on my thigh when I was sitting on our bench swing. That tickled me pink. Perhaps you remember my blog about that.

Have a nice evening and a pleasant Monday, Sarie.

Cap said...

I know exactly what you mean by trying to photograph hummingbirds. That's why I have over a hundred shots taken in Xi'an, China, of their unique birds. You are so lucky they decided to perch!

Gullible said...

Oops. Shaddy, that last post by Bobba Caps was really me. Forgot I'd signed into his blog to update it last night. He's stuck up in Interior Alaska with no dependable access to the internet.